Meher Baba, 1939

Consciousness is a key biological problem, and, cognition is a key biological process. Yet little is known about them. I see bacterium under my microscope. It has no identity unless I magnify the field. I search for the brain of bacterium and despite magnified field of vision I am not able to locate it.

How could it survive in the absence of any brain and respond to ever changing realities of the environment? Bacteria have no memory; they have a sensing feeling. They can feel even one percent change in the environment and respond to it. This ability to adapt to changing environment makes them survive, all that long in their evolutionary history. So, by the token of survival, they are superior to man. But they have no free will. They don’t need God and they don’t pray him to solve their day- to- day problems.

Recently, the subject of feeling and consciousness has come under greater scientific scrutiny particularly in the field of neurobiology and psychophysics. One of the greatest living biologist Francis Crick in his book ‘Astonishing hypothesis’ (sub-heading read: scientific research for the soul) made a tentative formulation that the inter-connected neurons and their electro-chemical signals are the sole players of our conscious phenomena and that there is no personal soul or self inside our heads.

Richard Dawkins also made similar observation in his book ‘The Blind Watchmaker’ (2006). He wrote: “What lies in the heart of every living thing is not a fire, not warm breath, not a spark of life. It is information, words, instructions”.

These observations do not come in conflict with the age old wisdom of East. The Vedas posit that the self as ego is also a brain product conditioned by the outer existence, with which brain is continuously acting and reacting.

Meher Baba says this ego is made up of impressions of mind. And that it has to finally go. Going of ego is a real death. It is deconstruction of self in the spiritual journey. The end of becoming is the state of be-ness. It is the end of physical, mental and spiritual journey of self. Sufis call this state as fana. Meher Baba says the first state is Nirvan. In this state, only pure consciousness remains. It is the domain of free will and freedom. In this state, ‘will’ exists with its folded wings, the state of mind of absolute rest – the chit.

Sadguru Ramkrishna Paramahamsa speaks about this very state of Fana when he explains how a salt- doll dissolves in the Ocean while on its long journey to find out the depth of the sea. This state is symbolized by Vishnu sleeping on the folded coils of Maya –The Serpent Sheshanag.

Meher Baba says in reality, only one existence exists. From atoms to man there is single continuity of emerging forms. All these categories are man-made and are artificial which serve only a taxonomic purpose. Organisms may be different, but they have same feelings and senses and they respond almost similarly. However, the efficiency of response varies due to acquired biological complexity built in their structure. In the universe, this unity is also maintained due to inter-connectedness of the system.

‘Today, no serious biologist could dispute such evolutionary continuity’, Steven Rose wrote in his book, ‘The Future of Brain’. According to him, mind is not spin-off of brain but an extension of minds of animals. That human-ness of humans is not different from animal of animals. No such separation exists in reality.

Vedas speak of ‘Tamasoma jyotirgamaya’ – journey from darkness to light. The assertion is not much different from what Dawkins calls ‘a blind watchmaker’.

In God to Man journey, Meher Baba speaks of three states of Fana in his book ‘God Speaks’: Fana, Fana Filla and Fana Baqa. Fana the first stage is nirvana. Next comes the state of Fana Filla which Vedanta terms as maha chitanya. Baba says, in Fana Filla, ‘I am God’ state is experienced consciously. The Third and final stage, Fana Baqa, the God’s life, is when God manifests as man, through a long process of evolutionary unfolding, as Avatar or Sadguru.

With God, the creation comes into being. The lotus emerges from the ocean. All evolutionary phenomena are in full form. Emerging entities interact, and are selected for their survival value in future. The mind of man is created in the image and likeness of God that makes man a creative creature, an owner of free will.

Upto this point, science and spirituality are not in conflict and are in synch with each other. Here onwards, differences creep in, when physical science transgressing its limits, tries to enter the spiritual domain of consciousness and ends up with measuring the neural process of information transfer.

Can brain construct consciousness? No. The weight of scientific opinion shows that there is no Cartesian mechanism so far to explain it. What we know for some certain is that the conscious experience cannot be pinned down to a place in the brain. It is non-local and spreads across the brain.

Basically brain processes are logical and functional, dealing with the transfer of sensory information. However, the judgments of mind are not based so much on sensory information, as on feeling. The mind and brain often conflict and often the heart wins over head.

Therefore, love and hate both win over the rational judgments. Many animals like jelly fish and amoeba do not have brains; yet they feel changes of environment and react to it. How do they do that?

Organisms react to the totality of environmental system. Nurture and nature interplay, yet nurture remains the primary player. The urge of love and emotional satisfaction are equally strong, rather stronger than the heartless race for survival. Still, love and security prevails over bread. Skinnerism is dead. Man can not and would not live by bread alone. So do other animals, It is empirically tested at least on monkeys (Harry Harrow 1960). They need warmth of love, softness and parental security too.

Meher Baba repeatedly emphasized the power of love. He equated Love with God himself. The love has mastery over man as well as total existence. The language may be different, mode of expression may vary, but all entities are able to convey in their own format in their own language.

This language may be physical, chemical or biological. It all depends on the interacting individuals. In atoms the language is physical. The entities behave following physical laws. The molecules have a chemical language. The language is biological among the animals. So it is language barrier, which makes us different entities.

Although mind is a measure of all the finite things, man can measure even beyond, with infinitely free intelligence and consciousness within. This was the reason that God asked gods to bow before man, a mortal with infirm existence and a human frame.

Says Holy Quran:
“Behold thy lord said to the angles; I am about to create man from a sounding clay. From the mud moulded into shape. When I have fashioned him and breathed into him my spirit, Fall ye down in obeisance unto him.” (S15 26-28)

Light from the moon is not original. It is the reflected light of sun. Even a full moon light is not the measure of full light, since it does not measure, the light beyond the boundary of the moon.

The vast expanse of universe is filled with the light which we are unable to see. This entire expanse, beyond the surface of moon and stars is beyond the perception of our eyes, but it is not beyond the scope of a little thinking thing- the human mind and the eye during a deep leap into the realm of pure consciousness. It is like taking the ball beyond the boundary.

When going deep within – the state of Nirvikalpa samadhi, most of those who had gone do not return to tell. The few, who return entering the state of Sahaja Samadhi, speak in a symbolic language, which people often don’t understand or misunderstand. The difference between the two states is explained by Meher Baba in his discourses. The Bible also explains the same thing in the words of God, when it says He made animals after their own kind and that man he made in his own image and likeness.

What is the meaning of after their kind? It means that they all were made after the nature of flesh and their whole life ended with struggles for survival. Man alone was created after soul, for the beyond the survival life of immortality, knowledge, wisdom, and freedom.

Importing the mind phenomenology of Meher Baba, the mind may be described as being at full rest is God and the soul may be described as being in the state of action.

The general character of soul is freedom. It revolts against all structures and rules consequent to those sets. It is a general principle of defiance, which is inherent in all bodies and structures. The soul craves freedom and stands against all rigid principles of governance and control, from atomic structures to social structures. The soul revolts, therefore there are revolutions. The soul revolts, therefore there is evolution. The basic nature of soul is peace and freedom. It revolts till the twin objectives are gained. At this stage the soul meets and merges in the Over Soul. An important difference between mind and soul is that while mind reflects light like the surface of moon, the light of soul is original like sun. It is the light of light.

In Sanskrit, Kala is time and the Kala is the segment of illumined space of mind as well as moon. 15 segments of light are needed to make a full moon. But all this is reflected and not the original light. The light beyond the moon space is 16th Kala The one who is able to see it, is the man of illumination, the one who can see the light within darkness – they are Rishies (seers) as Indians call them. .

The knowledge which Seers gather is not all collected by the indirect reflections, but with the direct perception of truth. That is why Lord Krishna is described as the incarnation of 16 K?la.

Knowledge is both aparaand para, that with physical limits and beyond. The manifest (Murta) as well as unmanifest (Amurta). The existence is truth, which could be both attributeless (Nirguna) or with attributes (Saguna). Both these states are within human cognition and comprehension. That makes man unique in animals and also one who is envied even by the gods.

In Tantra, the same truth is explained but in a different way. In it the eight-fold nature of earthly existence – the Ashtadha Prakriti, (the five earth elements + mind + intelligence + ego) is defined by the octagon and the Soul – the light beyond, by the point in its centre. While the eight fold nature is creation, the point beyond is the creation point: the one unmanifest, from where all creation begins and ends.

Ram Navami is a popular Indian festival. The Sanskrit word nava, Latin novo and the English word new have a common Indo-European origin. These words have similar meaning also, suggesting common strands of cultural communication in the past. The symbolic meaning of number 8 is the eight fold nature of creation. The number nine, the day of lord Ram’s birth signify a de novo birth, beyond the nature’s realm and boundary. It is the same phenomenon which Christians ascribe by birth to Christ.

This is what makes me believe that while symbols and expressions may differ from religion o religion the truth remains the same in almost all gospels. So is the truth of evolutionary journey of God to Man, and Man to God and the evolutionary goal of freedom and peace, here and beyond.

Flowers of spring die, fresh flowers emerge on the old stocks, they are of same frame, form and spirit, and yet, they are new. The creation is hard wired not to die. So is true of the sounding clay, you and I, who refuse to die. More so, we always keep to be undefiled, pure and virgin. I don’t know whether heavens really exist or not. But they do exist, in our quest for peace, here and hereafter. We are born virgins; our souls remain unpolluted, so long as we keep to ourselves, in our journey to earth.

Man was given the knowledge of all secret things of nature and beyond. The secrets were not made open even to the angles. It’s a great assurance and a great a hope to the mankind.

Man is closest to Bonobo – a species of apes from Central Africa, which have 98 percent genetic similarity with us. Yet, they remain animals because they can’t defy rules written for them. But man can. He can choose alternatives, make rules for his social conduct and break them with impunity, and write a new smriti, or change it.

Vedas say God created the world in three steps. Meher Baba says that this creation process was unconscious.

Step One was matter (Bhuh). A total darkness existed in the matter-energy existence (tamasagudhamgre- Nasadiya sukta.). No one to see; no one to feel; total ignorance prevailed as God in Vishnu stage was deep in sleep.

Who knew this state? Perhaps none, even not gods as they were still not created, says Nasadiya sukta of Vedas. Existing then was law, which was also totally blind. Defiance came at this stage. God defied. He could not tolerate this blindness. For Him the defiance was an act to freedom. He moved from the total blindness and darkness of existence towards the light. Tamsoma jyotirgamaya. The light was life. It was the light of freedom. The enlightenment was a gradual process. Yes, it could be a sudden illumination too.

Step Second was energy and life (Bhuvah). With life came some awareness and feeling of the surroundings. Yet, God was not satisfied; He defied the old stock, once again, as all that was created so far was all that was at the cost of His freedom.

So, God took the Third Step (Svah) and the self became aware of surroundings. Using the same principle of defiance inherent in His nature, He said, ‘more light’. This time not by the contact alone – I must visually see, all that surrounds me. From the desire to see, came eyes and a direct vision of the surroundings. The light this time was the direct perception through the instrument of eyes. Thus the foundation was laid of animal kingdom.

God became captive of his own five senses. And He became suddenly aware of His own power of creation –the Maya, which although fulfilling His all wishes, was binding and holding Him more tightly into her snares, through the laws of creation.

In Tantra, these binding laws are described as Pasha and the bonded soul as Pashu. God was not satisfied with the sensual existence which made him slave to the biddings of Maya. He wanted to be free, but could not undo simultaneously what he did for so long in the journey of creation. So, He took the Fourth Step, and in the family of apes he created man.

Man was turning point in the history of creation. God hid His seed of freedom in this animal existence of man. He was so much pleased by man’s creation that He gave him His power to defy, and break the law, which was his exclusive possession and none else enjoyed and shared it with Him in creation. A possession even denied to gods who can’t transgress the powers within set limits. But man, who pleased Him, was given the power to make or break the law.

At the same time, man was also given an edict of responsibility or the code of conduct, which is defined with time as Ethics – don’t do things towards any body, which you would not like others to do with you- Atmnah pratikulani parésham na samacharét

This basic law contained the fundamental rights – a) The right to live, b) The right to give and receive love, c) The right to rest and peace, and d) the right to explore freedom for the self. Other rights bestowed include the right to independence and the right to make judgments

Man is a social being; therefore, it is non-biological and unethical for him to accumulate earth’s resources for his individual and exclusive use. Put differently, the message is that man has no right exploit others to ensure his own survival or that of his species.

The God took for himself the posture of a servant of creation and slave of those who love Him. Then how man can act as the master of creation or even evolution over which he has no control. Such practices are corrupt in the eye of heavens.

Did the Lord not say that- neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruits. (St. Matthew 7-18). His scales of judgment are equal to all. He alone has the power to punish and forgive. We can take some lessons of natural ethics from the Apes. Machines alone do not define man. If tool making is to be the criterion of man‘s speciation, apes share it with man.

In so as far as equality of sexes is concerned, there is no singular divine law that has descended from heaven. Man and women are born equal. Among the great Apes however, the mountain Gorilla male is a patriarch. He is twice the size and weight of the female and protects the family. A female always selects and loves a fatty heavy hirsute male. However, this is not so with a human female, who will still like many more feathers attached to the cap of her male. One thing is clear though. Man must be able to support and protect the family.

Bonabo are chimps closer to man. Primatologist Frans de wall’s studies show that Bonabo have qualities such as altruism, compassion, cooperation and empathy. All these characteristics are genetic strategies and evolved in the animals to ensure survival. There is nothing sacred or secular about them. The only sacred things are the cravings of the soul for peace, love, knowledge and freedom. Man certainly excels, but simply has no sole copyright on the book of ethics..

God created His perfect image in man. Therefore, the evolutionary destiny of man is to achieve creative perfection, in all walks of life. God takes pleasure in creation. What is creation in God’s time is evolution in human perception. A word of God is a book of infinite number of pages in human translation. When he understands it, he becomes silent. Meher Baba describes this as the Whim of God. Whim is certainly not the work of brain, seeking the truth through logical possibilities or by digital means. His will is word, which He speaks to experience the beauty, inherent in infinite possibilities of his creation game.

If law be eternal, then Hannibal’s code would have been relevant even today. The truth is that in the changing reality of world, any attempt to check the change, is certainly going to meet with failure.

Books howsoever holy, words, howsoever, lofty, messages, howsoever, crafty, are true till they are not replaced by higher intelligence, always incarnated in man. Intelligence may come through divine intervention or through cumulative community interactions, or a sudden self illumination; it is the only fuel which first burns the old lifeless stock.

So the Law which stands valid is Change, and it applies to all divine as well as secular intelligence.

The God working is God manifesting; God manifesting is God defying and changing the old code and changing the human fate as well. This is the plain logic of incarnation.

But eminent scholar and writer Anna Khandale, Anna to his friends, doesn’t agree with the general perception. He has, infact, put a new spin on the issue while fielding my question ‘when will Meher Baba manifest’. In his view, Meher Baba’s manifestation is not a one-off affair.

“No, His manifestation is not an event, like Krishna allowing Arjun to see His divine universal form on the battle field of Mahabharata. He is continuously manifesting; it has become much more pronounced after He dropped His physical body in 1969”, Khandale, who has been living in Meherabad for over a decade, told me in an interview at his modest one-room unit near the Old Mandali Hall in Lower Meherabad.

Khandale came to Baba through the Theosophical movement. He saw Baba for the first time in 1944 in his home town Akola in the backward Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. Baba visited Akola while on Mast tour. Khandale became a regular at Meherabad only after Baba dropped His body.

Presently he is one of the two care-takers of the Samadhi shrine. A much sought after speaker and a prolific writer, he is very unassuming and is acknowledged as a walking encyclopedia on Meher Baba. One of his recent books is titled ‘The Mystery of Life and Death’. It draws upon the hidden meanings and purposes of life as revealed by Avatar Meher Baba.

Elaborating on ‘Manifestation’, Anna Khandale said:

“Lord Krishna revealed His identity as Svayam Bhagavan, the Supreme Being, at Kurukshetra to Arjun. There was a purpose. He had to inspire confidence in Arjun and motivate him. The awe-inspiring vision of Divine Universal Form had the desired effect. So, some expect Meher Baba also to make people experience His Universal Form in some such way. Such people are in for disappointment

“Historically speaking, and going by earlier Avataric advents, the only thing that links the advents is the purpose. Why God has been coming again and again as God Man amidst us? He is coming to re-direct our energies, to re-orient our outlook and to make us realize the Path to reach Him. Each Avatar carried out His Mission according to the needs of the time. Message was the same; Content of the message was the same. The way the Mission was executed was different. In fact, there was no Krishna -like vision gift to Arjun every time. I agree in every Avataric advent, the God Man helped many Arjuns to know Him but it was not necessarily in the way Mahabharata’s Arjun saw Him.

“As Bhau Kalchuri says in his magnum opus, Lord Meher, God-Man’s appearance always coincides with the spiritual birth of man. The period immediately preceding God- Man’s manifestation is always marked by humanity suffering from the pangs of the approaching birth…

As Khandale paused as if ready to take a question, I asked him, ‘Did not Meher Baba say He is the last Avatar in this present cycle?’ As Anna was gently nodding his head, his wife Usha (they celebrated their 54th marriage day on Jan 24, 2012) quietly entered the room, placed two cups of steaming tea before us and left us undisturbed. I don’t think he took notice of her entry and exit, much less of the tea cup before him. I had to remind him, though he was my host, of the tea that was getting cold in the cold breeze that had engulfed Meherabad that December evening.

Said Khandale, “It was some time in the December of 1942 that Baba told the Women Mandali that He is the last Avatar in this present cycle of twenty-four. Therefore, the present Avatar is the greatest and the most powerful. Baba told the women Mandali probably in the same conversation that he has the attributes of five Avatars – as pure as Zoroaster, as truthful as Ram, as mischievous as Krishna, as gentle as Jesus, and as fiery as Muhammad. We are lucky in a way that we all came to know of Him when He was in our midst physically”.

I hastened to correct him. “Don’t say we. Say I, it is ok because you saw Him in 1944 itself. I only heard of Baba in the late sixties by when He went into His seclusion and offered no public darshan. I wrote a couple of letters. Eruch and Adi replied on His behalf. Bad luck, I lost those letters over the years. I saw Baba only when He moved into the Samadhi and gave His darshan for seven days”.

Anna said: “When you had darshan or whether you could have His darshan is not material. You should not go by that benchmark. You heard about Him when He was physically amidst us, when He was physically suffering for us. You were able to come to Meherabad for His great darshan. All this is no mean thing. How many of our contemporaries have had this much opportunity. When compared to many, we are lucky, you are lucky and you and I are lucky because He provided the opportunity to hear about Him. Unless God wills–He doesn’t will always — we cannot come anywhere near the place which He makes His abode.

“Read Bhauji’s (Bhau Kalchuri) book on Baba Manifesting. He clearly brings out the majesty of the Avatar and the great significance of the Manifestation of Meher Baba. According to Bhauji, being the last Avatar of this cycle, Meher Baba Mission is to bring all the religions, sects, cults and isms together, and He accomplishes this by breaking down each of the religious orthodoxies.

“Now why Meher Baba is the greatest of the Avatars of this cycle? Baba is the greatest because, as Bhau says, Baba is for all races of humanity. His universal work is the culmination of all the work of all previous Avatars. His work will benefit the world more than any of the previous Avatars. The people of each religion of the world will recognize Him as the same Ancient One, who appeared in the form of Zarathustra, Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed.

“Yes, Meher Baba is different from the earlier Avatars. He did not speak. He observed silence for days and months and years. Yet, His silence was eloquent. I think His silence spoke more words. Unlike in the earlier Avataric times, Meher Baba traveled extensively around India and the world. Bhauji’s Lord Meher tells us what He said and what He did on every single day of His Mission on earth. Lord Meher is not a book; it is a mirror to every day life of Meher Baba. Such chronicles are not there about earlier avatars. So, Lord Meher is a path breaking effort; it tells you what Meher Baba did on any given day, with whom He had interacted, what message or discourse He gave.

Bhau when he was night watchman of Meher Baba

I interrupted Anna Khandale again. “You have not answered my main question”.

He replied: “I am coming to that point. When God is amongst us, the universal tendency is to see His physical presence as an ordinary man of the world. When He asserts His Divinity on earth by proclaiming Himself as the Avatar of the Age, He is worshipped by some who accept Him as God, and glorified by a few who know Him as God on earth. These are few lucky souls who had come in contact with Him because of their carry forward sanskaras. Rest of the humanity doesn’t recognize Him, instead condemns Him, makes fun of Him, when He is physically in their midst. Frankly, such condemnation or attacks make no difference to Him. Going by what we have seen in Meher Baba’s life, we can say even such condemnation is a part of Divine Theme and Plan. How will you know about Him unless there is someone who speaks about Him one way or the other?

“Take Prabhu (Lord) Ram, for instance. He was known and respected by the people of Ayodhya and beyond as a King, and not as Incarnation of God. It took thousands of years for the mankind to accept Ram as Avatar of the Age. Today we see there are lot of devotes of Prabhu Ram; there is no need to tell them that Prabhu Ram was the Avatar – God in Human form, that he had taken birth to end evil and to re-establish truth and to awaken sections of humanity towards divine love. God manifests Himself in the hearts of humanity but it takes some time.

“Prabhu Ram did not establish a religion, certainly a religion as a prison, such things are always later day creations and it is to break the barriers created by religion in action that God Man comes down to the earth to end all orthodoxies and to let fresh breeze in again.

“We are on the point that Avatar is seldom recognized during his Physical Life time. At the time of Lord Krishna, even Arjun, who was so close to Him, did not accept Him as God in Human form, and, therefore, Lord Krishna had to give him Virat Roop Darshan (Divine Universal Form). It took thousands of years for the mankind to accept Krishna as God in Human form. So we can say it takes years and years for the Avatar to manifest Himself in the hearts of humanity. The same thing happened when Jesus Christ arrived, during the time of Gautam Buddha and the time of Prophet Mohammed. But the case of Avatar Meher Baba is quite different. He declared Himself ‘I am the Avatar of the Age’. And said: The time has come. I repeat the call, and bid all COME UNTO ME’.

“Meher Baba said: ‘I veil myself from man by his own curtain of ignorance and manifest My glory to a few. My present Avataric Form is the last incarnation of this Cycle of time. Hence My manifestation will be the greatest’.

“Let me get into some specifics. In 1938, Meher Baba declared that the world will become ‘instant’. At that time the meaning of the word ‘instant’ was not clear to those who heard him say so. But today we see how Instant has become Instant, how the communication flows between continents, between people, how the world has come together with the Internet. You can move anything from anywhere by clicking on the mouse button.

“In the long history of mankind, the history of twentieth century is the most outstanding; it is full of unprecedented events. In this century, we have seen the rise and rise and fall of Communist philosophy, we have seen imperialism at its best and worst and finally we saw its defeat, we have seen the end of monarchies which we know existed in one form or the other from pre-historic period, we have seen an end to discrimination based on race and color of skin, we have seen in India the abolition of untouchability. Read Lord Meher to know first hand how Baba worked to end untouchability in the twenties when untouchability was not a political issue it was to become in later years.

“Technological and scientific developments have reached their zenith in our age. Now man is enjoying the privileges of yogis enjoyed –with his cell phone, television, and computer. This is all because of the advent of God in human form as Avatar on earth. The scientific inventions are at their zenith on account of the migration and influx of highly brainy men from other planets — with 100% intellect to our earth. It is all due to the Advent of Avatar, as Meher Baba says.

“Meher Baba bathed the lepers who were suffering from wet leprosy with His own hands. No Mahatma or saint of the world has done such work so far as wet lepers are concerned. Baba worked with lepers in an age when anyone afflicted with leprosy was made a social outcaste. This incurable disease of leprosy has become curable in this age because of Avatar’s invisible work.

“All the age old traditions and practices in political and social systems are becoming a thing of the past one after the other in this age to our surprise. It is all because of Avatar Meher Baba’s invisible work done…He did all His work incognito. He did not have a PR agency to tell the world what He was doing or what he had set about to do. Well, He needed none. This creation is His. He is here to set right things and give a universal push.

“Though His work carried out beyond the gaze the media, Meher Baba is today visible than ever before…. His biography running into 6000 plus pages is on the Internet for everyone to read. Shall I tell you more bluntly? Meher Baba is today available to the humanity through innumerable channels, on the Internet, and YouTube at the click on the mouse. Contrast this phenomenon with the times of Prabhu Ram or Lord Krishna or Jesus – None of these past Avatars were easily available to the people of their times excepting a chosen few, who were very advanced souls.

“Now, you can understand why I keep saying Avatar Meher Baba has started manifesting, and is waking up people. Come and spend a day at the Samadhi. You will see people coming for darshan from all walks of life from all over the world, White Man and Woman, Brown Man and Woman, Black Man and Woman – people of all ages, of all castes, creeds and religions from China, Russia, Africa, Latin America and so many other regions.

“In these visitors to the Samadhi, I see breaking down of religious walls, customs and traditional barriers, and orthodoxies. Many of these people are coming not because some body told them to visit Meherabad for solace or comfort. They are coming on their own. Many of them have seen Baba in their dreams, heard Baba talk to them…

“…I met this couple – who are Theosophists – they came to Samadhi one day evening, not knowing whether the doors would be open, wondering what would be the practices here at the Samadhi. They told me that they had come here because Baba appeared in their dream and asked them ‘Why are you not visiting my Samadhi’. That was the first time they had heard about Meher Baba.

“Do you know what had prompted the construction of the beautiful Baba centre in Delhi? The inspiration came from a non-baba lover family; their son on the death bed spoke of Meher Baba and told them that he was seeing Baba. After the son died, they made enquiries about Meher Baba and learnt about Baba from friends in Delhi, Mumbai and other places and came here to the Samadhi. What does this all tell you?

Anna looked at me as if he was waiting for my response. But what could I say, add or subtract to what he has said about the One, who has grandly declared that ‘all religions and traditions belong to me’, and that His advent is ‘for all, not those of East or West, or any other arbitrary distinction based on accidents of birth, geography and the like’.

Meherabad itself bears true testimony to the unfolding phenomenon. Over the past forty years, this dry, draughty sleepy village has become a township pulsating with activity; a place, which once had no shelter for overnight stay, today offers comfortable accommodation through out the year, and the throngs of visitors have made every day an Amartithi.

Tsai’s response to social grievances has been to promote a reactionary, protectionist agenda, accusing Ma of sending “Taiwanese investors rushing into China” and causing job losses in Taiwan. As Ma explained, most of the outsourcing and shift of production to China took place under the former DPP government. The DPP, however, appears to be the beneficiary of the anger and discontent among voters. Its polling figures have risen since its 2008 defeat, while still trailing behind those of the KMT. ( courtesy wsws.org)

Yemen’s stockpile of weapons official and unofficial is dangerously huge. The number of uncontrolled weapons is four times larger than the number of weapons in the hands of the security forces. Saleh ruled through a complex system of patronage and fear, not as a snake charmer but literally dancing on the heads of snakes. He managed internal threats like the separatist planks in the south and the Shiite Houthi revolt in the north. How his successor will fare is a million dollar question just as when he would actually step down remains a hundred thousand dollar doubt.

Even before the ink on the GCC agreement signed on Nov 23 dried, pro Saleh faction took the streets of capital Sana’a to denounce the deal while the opposition demonstrated its relief and happiness with unconcealed glee. The ensuing clashes claimed five lives. At least 41 were injured, including 27 from gunshot wounds.

As Peter Symonds says, the GCC agreement by no means guarantees that Saleh will leave office. On at least three occasions he had publicly pledged to quit, only to renege. Moreover, under the arrangement, Saleh will retain a ceremonial role as president even after he has formally handed his powers to Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi within 30 days. Presidential elections are due within three months.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia gave his blessing to the agreement, which was signed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. He declared that it would “open a new page” in Yemen’s history and lead to greater freedom and prosperity. In a similar vein, US President Obama, another backer of the deal, hailed the “historic transition,” saying the Yemeni people “deserve the opportunity to determine their own future.”

These are tall claims. Only time can verify their veracity. The point of interest for the present will be focused on Vice President Hadi, a Saleh appointee himself, as he goes about forming a “national unity” government prior to the presidential election.

Hadi, a former army officer, will also head a military committee to oversee the restructuring of the military. There is no guarantee, however, that the changes will end the grip of the Saleh family over the country’s military and security apparatus. Saleh’s son, Ahmed, commands the elite Republican Guard, which has been gunning down protesters and fighting street battles in Sana’a against rebel troops and tribal fighters. Three of Saleh’s nephews hold key security and intelligence posts.

Under the agreement, Saleh will remain leader of the ruling General People’s Congress, which has an overwhelming majority in the country’s parliament. Elections scheduled for April 2009 were postponed for two years. The government also cancelled elections in April this year, using the anti-government protests as a pretext. No new parliamentary elections are planned until a review of the constitution takes place.

Going by reports, it appears the youth, who have been leading the anti-government protests, are not impressed by the GCC deal. They are indeed angry if the angry march along Zubairy Street in the capital’s centre on Nov 24 is taken as the bench mark of public dismay. They chanted, “Our revolution will continue, so beware Saleh” and “No immunity for the murderers.” Some held up photos of those killed in previous demonstrations.

The protesters are demanding that all Saleh’s family members be removed from office and put on trial along with the president himself. Their goal: the end of the whole regime.” There are reports of sharp differences between traditional opposition parties and protesters. According to the Guardian, speakers from the Islah party were forced to flee Change Square, the protest headquarters, after coming under a barrage of eggs, plastic bottles and stones from protesters chanting: “Our stage, our revolution, down with the opposition!”

The Islah party is part of the opposition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), which countersigned the GCC agreement in Riyadh and expects to hold posts in the proposed “unity” government. The Islah lead opposition coalition includes Islamists, Socialists, and Nasserite. An overwhelming majority of the protesters in the streets are from Islah ranks. If the present spate of protests gain momentum, sections of workers and oppressed rural people may join the campaign giving it a new dimension altogether. Yemen is the most impoverished of the Arab countries, with 42 percent of the population living on less than $US2 a day.

Efforts are therefore being made to end the protests. UN special envoy Jamal Benomar, who played a central role in patching the GCC deal together, made a special appeal to the anti-government opposition: “You have generated the momentum for change in Yemen. The door is now open for you to make a real difference in the transition.”

The appeal was not directed so much to the young demonstrators but to Major General Ali Mohsen, who defected to the opposition with his troops, and the leaders of powerful Ahmar clan, who have also mobilized their fighters. These opposition figures, who control the northern and western suburbs of Sana’a, have yet to respond to the signing of the GCC agreement.

If Mohsen can be persuaded to abide by the deal, the anti-government protesters in Change Square would be more vulnerable. His troops have provided a measure of protection for the protests from attack. If the young demonstrators cannot be pressured to end their opposition, the “national unity” government will have to turn to the security forces.

One expert with pronounced anti-American views avers that US backing for the GCC agreement has nothing to do with supporting the democratic rights of the Yemeni people. ‘Like in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan, here in Yemen also the Obama administration is concerned to install a regime that will protect American interests and wage its covert war in Yemen against member of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)’.

This is a claim that is not without merit since the Pentagon and the CIA have been forging closer links with the Yemeni security forces. In a statement issued on Nov 23, the Pentagon said “our shared interest with the Yemeni government in fighting terrorism… goes beyond specific individuals.”

There is no denying that al-Qaeda has expanded its reach in Yemen, making the local off-shoot, the most dangerous of al-Qaeda’s many franchises. Zinjibar, a port city in the Gulf of Aden is under its influence. Anarchy will give it the cover to carry out deadly attacks and even hamper the freedom of shipping in the Bab El Mandeb Straits, through which more than 3 million barrels of oil pass through every day.

Yemen borders Saudi Arabia, and is adjacent to strategic shipping lanes into the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Yemenis struggle is akin to the Tahrir Square outburst in Egypt. And like in Cairo, in Sana’a too, the struggle for change is far from over. Whoever comes to power ultimately, will have to grapple with a bleak economic situation. Years of misrule and cronyism are compounded by losses in oil export revenue estimated at $10 billion.

—m. rama rao
(*This commentary first appeared on Poreg, www.poreg.org)

However, even if Damascus allows Arab League inspectors into the country, which many observers consider unlikely, the US-led campaign for regime change will continue, driven by the desire of US and European imperialism to control the vast oil and gas resources of the Middle East and block any genuinely progressive expression of the aspirations of the Syrian population.
(wsws.org)

Sai devotee Suresh Vadhava from Mumbai has donated Chandan wood palanquin worth Rs.19 lakh 50 thousand to Shri Saibaba in Shirdi.

Jayant Sasane,chairman of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust(Shirdi),and trustee Ashok Khambekar were present on the occasion.

Meher Baba, 1939

On Meherabad hill, every day offers a surprise. The other day, for instance, a family celebrating the birthday of their grandchild, distributed cookies after the evening prayers along with regular prasad. Every one received a cookie packed neatly in a sachet. And in the sachet is a neatly printed Message.

While I missed picking up my sachet being an early bird for the darshan, my friend Ramachandra Gaikwad, a long time resident of Lower Meherabad, proudly displayed his ‘possession’. It read: ‘Baba might reward you with something to meet your expectations or he might give you nothing and that nothing would be everything’.

The cookies were uniform in size; their taste was also the same but not the message they delivered. Every single sachet surprised you with a different message. Who said uniformity is order of the day in Meherabad; who said there is a dull moment with Meher Baba?

Gokaran Srivastav too offers a surprise. He manages the Hill Library along with his wife, Urmila. The Gokarans moved to the Tomb Shrine Township, which is Meherabad, after they retired as Professors of Science from a leading University in Central India. Though a familiar face to me, I met Gokaran formally only this September. The initiative for the meeting was entirely mine.

My impression of Gokaran Srivastav, whom I will henceforth refer to as the Professor, has been that he is a person who is eternally insecure. A timid and withdrawing type, – introvert is not an expression that does full justice to his persona – he is quite humourless.  And that he manages the Hill Library, which is his turf, as a personal fiefdom, that he is institutionalising a new order by commemorating important days in Baba’s life, that the  ‘event management’ is in the college seminar mode, where speakers are selected on their ability to reciprocate  your gesture……

My impressions of his wife, Urmila, were no different, though I found her more relaxed when meeting even strangers. Unlike the Professor, she is quick-witted, and can brighten up any atmosphere.  She is given to quick bouts of angry outbursts though. And the seminars the husband and wife team conduct are occasions for a dialogue between the two with an occasional friendly intruder of their choice.

Vaniram’s exposure to the Professors during her first stint on the Hill as a Meher Self-less Volunteer strengthened my perceptions. I felt that there was no need to change my views until I met him to interview him for South Asian Tribune.

The interview brought me face –to-face with a new Professor, who is eager to share his love for Him and who is going the extra mile to spot and nurture talent that will eventually fill the vacancies on the Baba Speakers circuit as the old guard, who had learnt the abcd of life and love at His Feet, are returning to live in Him permanently.

The task is not easy these days when written word has few takers.  Reading habit is low in India and the literacy levels are still lower.  In most Baba centres there is hardly anyone who is willing to face the mike. The Centres’ libraries are stashed with books, with Lord Meher occupying the pride of place. Not many borrow these books. Yes, most Baba lovers are good listeners – whether it is a bhajan session or a get together to share experiences.

Some old timers like Malhotra in Delhi, Anna Khandale in Meherabad-Akola, B Rama Krishnaiah in Hyderabad, and Ramana Murthy in Srikakulam have introduced the practice of readings from God Speaks and Discourses.  Being the products of Remington Age, they don’t do any power point presentation; they don’t confine to mere reading of the passages but educate the listeners with various aspects of Baba’s Life and Message by going beyond the printed word. No surprise, Malhotra, Anna Khandale, Rama Krishnaiah and Ramana Murthy are always on demand with ‘sahvas’ becoming a regular feature at the centres.

Says the Professor: “This is a big gap … people, who can speak, people who are willing to speak. We are trying to address the problem in our own way”.

When he says ‘We’, he means he, and his wife.

I was not impressed. Listening to others’ speak, and write on what they speak has been my brick and mortar business. Well, frankly, my bread and butter business for four-long decades. So, the Professor’s lament on shortage of talent to fill the emerging vacuum surprised me. Till it struck me that the Professor was on Baba’s Love World unlike me whose ears and eyes are focused on the hurly-burly world of politics and the world of economics.

Seeing me turn attentive, the Professor came into his elements.

“Every day new people are coming to Samadhi. How they are coming? May be they have heard about Baba from relatives, friends or acquaintances. May be they think visiting Samadhi would please their relatives who are steeped in Baba’s love.  But what happens when they come here. They get a cultural shock of sorts. This is not a place of worship they are familiar with. The silence here stuns them. Most of them are not given to bowing before a Samadhi. That becomes another cultural shock. Will the experience enriches them? Well, that depends on their samsakaras and Baba’s wish. Being casual, unprepared visitors, many of them may carry home an experience that can be said to be not pleasant, negative, bad….

“We, the old timers, who have had the good fortune of His Darshan, should do something.  This urge resulted in the shaping of our library. And it led to setting up our Photo exhibition.

“The next logical step is helping every one discover the Avataric legacy. The discovery exercise is not creating a cult. Baba Himself spoke against such things. He Himself said that He is here to awaken us. We have to be wide awake to receive His Nazar. Mark my word. We are saying discovering Avataric legacy. You discover something which is already present and you had missed earlier for one reason or the other. As a scientist I know what I am talking…

“There are so many events in Baba’s Life.  Not a single day has been left untouched by Him. We are picking some events to relive those wonderful moments, to educate ourselves on the significance of those events……   Our first effort to relive, to remember, to savour the beauty of the Three Incredible Weeks, was a modest success. Just 20 persons turned up. Were we disheartened? No. Our next offering was 1955 Sahvas. It attracted a bigger turnout. Some 50 lovers from the ‘original sahvas’   joined us in the November of 2005. The arrangements were on the Amartithi scale. What does this tell? We are on the right track with His Blessings. An evolutionary process in discovering Avataric legacy? Well, yes, it is.

“We are yet to come to grips with our main problem –people who can take the mike and speak, tell their experience, their perceptions, their stories of love, understanding….  In a seminar circuit, a speaker is expected to send in advance the theme of his speech, slides for power point presentation and so on, and yes, text of the speech….

“We are nowhere near that stage. We have to coax people, run after them to come forward and speak.

“For the October (2011) programme on Discovering the Avataric Legacy, we suggested some fifteen topics. These are Ten States of God, Theme of Creation, Ten Circles Chart and Baba’s Mandali, Manzil-e-Meem, Lives of Baba’s Parents, Avatars of the Past and the Avataric Cycle, Baba’s Mast Work, Baba’s Travels in India, Baba’s Worldwide Travels,   Baba’s Literature, Baba’s Interest in Music, Baba and Poetry, History of Baba Plays, History of Baba Films, and States of Consciousness.

“Having given a long list, we said ‘it is up to you. Pick up any Baba topic of your choice”. How can we fix the topics? The speaker should have the freedom to pick and chose his favourite topic from Baba’s life and message.

“We are not calling them speakers and speeches. These are sessions of sharing experiences and understandings.   These are sessions of education to the new comers… Not systematising, not institutionalising. Not creating creeds, not conventions, not setting new traditions.

“From the library what we are doing is present an audio-visual to go with the event. We make use of the old interviews, old film clips and news paper archives.  Just to build the mood and tempo.  Just to introduce the lovers to the event they have been invited to attend.

“I believe there is a need to educate, (and) to inform the new visitors to the Samadhi. How it can be done?  Whoever comes for the first time must be helped to know Baba.

“In the coming days, as Baba Himself said, Meherabad is going to be the New Jerusalem of the world. It means there will be a great influx of visitors.

“Yes. Yes. Baba Himself will take care of His new lovers. He doesn’t need you or me. But what if we all chip in and do our bit to welcome the new tide of Baba lovers, make them feel at home, and let them feel happy.  This is something within our reach. We must do this.

Professor Gokaran Srivastav would have continued with a torrent of words about the One, who has dispensed with words and has been speaking through the heart.  But the clock in his library stuck 7 PM. It was time for evening prayers at the Samadhi.

And it was time for me to discover a new surprise.